Senior Counsel - Americas

Valvoline Global•Lexington, KY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Counsel - Americas serves as the lead legal advisor and strategic business partner for Valvoline Global Operations' Americas business, a $2.5 billion region spanning the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Reporting directly to the Chief Legal Officer and serving as a member of the Americas Leadership Team, this role provides commercially focused legal leadership that enables growth, protects enterprise interests, and supports the execution of regional business strategies. As the primary legal business partner to the SVP, General Manager - Americas and the regional leadership team, the Senior Counsel balances legal risk management with pragmatic business decision-making. The role leads a team of attorneys and paralegals responsible for supporting commercial, procurement, supply chain, marketing, and operational activities across the region. While not directly responsible for Legal Center of Excellence functions such as Employment, Litigation, Ethics & Compliance, Intellectual Property, or Mergers & Acquisitions, the Senior Counsel partners closely with those teams to ensure coordinated legal support and effective risk management across the business. The position operates in a highly complex environment involving cross-border transactions, strategic customer and supplier relationships, evolving regulatory requirements, and a diverse portfolio of commercial arrangements. Success requires strong leadership, business acumen, executive presence, and the ability to influence outcomes at the highest levels of the organization.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school and an active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
10+ years of progressive legal experience, including significant commercial, transactional, and business counseling experience gained through a combination of in-house and/or law firm roles.
Demonstrated success serving as a trusted legal advisor to senior executives and business leaders within a complex, multinational organization.
Extensive experience drafting, negotiating, and managing a broad range of sophisticated commercial agreements, including supply, manufacturing, distribution, procurement, services, technology, marketing, and strategic partnership agreements.
Experience supporting commercial, procurement, supply chain, manufacturing, sales, marketing, and operational functions.
Experience managing outside counsel and supporting business operations across multiple jurisdictions; experience supporting the United States, Canada, and Latin America preferred.
Strong knowledge of commercial contracting, transactional law, contract risk management, and legal and regulatory frameworks affecting multinational business operations.
Experience leveraging legal technology, including contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems, to improve efficiency and scalability.
Strong business and financial acumen, with the ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives and provide practical, business-focused solutions.
Exceptional analytical, judgment, communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders and effectively translate complex legal concepts for non-legal audiences.
Proven leadership, collaboration, and stakeholder management capabilities, including experience leading teams and developing talent.
Demonstrated integrity, sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to operate effectively in complex, ambiguous, and high-stakes environments. simultaneously while maintaining a high level of quality and responsiveness.

Responsibilities

Serve as the lead legal advisor to the Americas Leadership Team, providing strategic counsel that supports business growth, operational excellence, and achievement of regional objectives.
Act as the primary legal business partner to the SVP, General Manager - Americas and senior leadership team.
Participate as an active member of the Americas Leadership Team, contributing to business strategy, commercial decision-making, risk assessment, and operational planning.
Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice that appropriately balances risk mitigation with commercial objectives.
Identify emerging legal, regulatory, and commercial risks impacting the Americas region and develop proactive mitigation strategies.
Influence business decisions through effective communication of legal implications, alternatives, and recommended courses of action.
Lead all legal support for the Americas commercial, procurement, supply chain, and operational functions.
Lead the legal support strategy for commercial contracting activities across the Americas region, providing oversight and guidance for the negotiation, execution, and management of a broad range of commercial agreements, including supply, manufacturing, distribution, procurement, services, technology, marketing, and strategic partnership agreements.
Provide legal guidance on commercial transactions, strategic initiatives, pricing programs, sales models, and customer relationships.
Advise business leaders on contractual risk allocation, liability management, performance obligations, and dispute avoidance.
Support the development and implementation of scalable commercial contracting processes and governance frameworks.
Lead legal support across the United States, Canada, and Latin America, ensuring consistent legal standards while accounting for local market requirements.
Partner with regional stakeholders to address legal matters arising from business operations, supply chain activities, and customer engagements.
Assess and manage commercial, regulatory, operational, and reputational risks associated with regional initiatives.
Establish practical legal policies, guidelines, and controls that enable efficient business execution.
Support internal investigations, dispute resolution efforts, and risk mitigation activities in partnership with Legal Centers of Excellence when applicable.
Ensure legal considerations are effectively integrated into strategic business initiatives and operational processes.
Lead, coach, and develop a team consisting of two attorneys and two paralegals supporting the Americas region.
Establish priorities, allocate resources, and ensure delivery of high-quality legal services aligned with business needs.
Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and customer-focused legal support.
Develop team capabilities in commercial contracting, legal operations, and business partnership.
Drive workload management and resource optimization across the regional legal team.
Partner closely with Employment, Litigation, Ethics & Compliance, Intellectual Property, Data Privacy, and M&A legal teams to deliver coordinated legal support.
Facilitate alignment between regional business priorities and enterprise legal strategies.
Champion the implementation, optimization, and governance of contract lifecycle management (CLM) tools and processes supporting increasing commercial and procurement contracting volumes.
Drive standardization, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives that enhance efficiency, compliance, and business responsiveness.
Develop and maintain contract templates, playbooks, approval frameworks, and negotiation guidelines.
Leverage data, analytics, and technology to improve contract management effectiveness and legal service delivery.
Promote self-service and scalable legal solutions where appropriate to support business growth.